Dreams on Display: Young Women Share Goals

April 2, 2026

To conclude the Home’s celebration of Women’s History Month, our Walsh Campus coworkers and young people enjoyed a special dinner and crafted cardboard displays about their personal and professional aspirations. Two members of our Leader Council and a guest were on hand to provide feedback, support, and mentorship. The interactions that resulted also provided opportunities for our young women to build professional skills, including communication.

Alex, for example, displayed a board in which she showcased her goal of becoming a therapist. “I wanted to be there for people who are going through a lot,” she said, before enumerating the steps needed to reach her goal, including earning a master’s degree in counseling. “I envision a future where I never doubt I could succeed,” she said, adding that what keeps her motivated is “knowing that I will be able to help others overcome their struggles.”

Kendall created a “Song Station” board dedicated to the essential role that music occupies in her life. It featured musical notations, inspirational phrases, and encouraging pictures. “I really enjoy music. It speaks to my soul,” Kendall said, pointing out a sticker that read “Music is the Key to My Heart.” Toward the end of the event, she brought her board to life through a fabulous duet she with another youth, Simone.

For her part, Simone created a board that used symbolism of a paper crown to embrace our complex humanity. Titled “Crowns for Queens,” it contrasted our desire to be perfect with an acknowledgement, and even an embrace, of our unique imperfections, as symbolized by staples adorning the edges of the crown.

Leader Council member and former girls home resident Natasha Perssico Escobedo was impressed by Simone’s insights. “I thought it was deeply profound,” she said. For Escobedo, the event was also a homecoming, being her first time back at the girls campus since she left for college and built a successful career in forensic accounting. “It was a little bit of nostalgia,” she reflected. Today, she is a principal in the business valuation and forensic accounting practice at Epstein Nach Escobedo.

While Escobedo went into the evening prepared to share her own personal and professional experience with showcase participants, she said she left having learned from the young women who presented.

Leader Council member Jennifer Lyons, who is the news Regional President and General Manager CBS Chicago, CBS Detroit and Detroit 50 CW, enjoyed the chance to interact with our young women and hear about their goals. “Every last one of them had a beautiful message and a beautiful dream,” Lyons said. “It really brought a lot of meaning to the work that we’re doing in the Leader Council, just to be here and feel the spirit and the energy.” The Leader Council is a group of accomplished professional women dedicated to improving educational opportunities for the young people at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. They provide volunteer, financial, and professional support, highlighted by their hosting the annual Graduates’ Luncheon, which celebrates our young people’s academic achievements.

Sandy Pudar, a guest of Lyons and a producer at CBS2 Chicago was impressed by the support that our young people gave to one another. Likening the environment to the all-girls Catholic high school she attended, Pudar said “being here tonight really brought back those memories of having a support group of girls.” She said she was impressed and inspired by “how they leaned on each other and helped each other through their presentations.”

In addition to the dinner and the exposition, our guests helped judge a Women’s History Month door decorating competition with help from advancement’s Rita McGovern. The event capped off a month of activities at both campuses that celebrated important women who have been change agents in our lives and communities. They included a dialogue on gender roles in the workplace, a trivia contest, a guest speaker at the West Loop campus, and more.